More Than Just a Meal
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Meet “Ray”
I was homeless for several years. Sleeping under the bridges, passed out on the sidewalks, in the bushes, under the freeways by downtown.
My dad passed away when I was seven. At the time I didn’t know he was a heroin addict and he died from overdose.
Not long after, my mom met my stepdad and we never got along. It was rough. I felt like I needed to belong to a family that had my back. That’s when I got involved in the gang and started getting into trouble.
I was out there just roaming around downtown, homeless, getting high every day. I was tired of it. It’s wicked out there. I knew I needed to draw closer to God. I know God has a calling upon me and I knew the San Diego Rescue Mission offered Jesus Christ. Not only did I need to get physically healthy, but also spiritually. I was drowning in these lies that led to how I’d been living.
Being able to have a bed to sleep in and the meals here…it was such a relief. It was perfect to be able to read the word, find a church family, and give back through working.
Now, I no longer sulk in pain. I no longer look at myself with self-pity. I feel joy when I look at myself now. I lost that when I was out there. I gave up on everything to a point where it was okay for me to be sleeping on a curb and with people I don’t even know. But the San Diego Rescue Mission has given me hope. And I can look at myself in the mirror and smile and know that everything’s going to be okay.
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thank you for the story ,, from Ray,, 20 years ago , a retired Pastor,, took about 20 of us,,from Solana Beach P.Churdh , 3days roaming so. San Diego,,, 2 nights at the San Diego Mission,, I can’t say enough about the Mission,, fantastic,, love true stories like that!! jeanne shupala